Typically, when a disabled person in a wheelchair travels in a bus, the person remains in their regular wheelchair during the trip. The wheelchair is loaded into the bus whilst the disabled person remains seated in it, and it is then strapped down to prevent it from moving whilst the bus is in motion. A disadvantage of this method of travel is that a conventional wheelchair occupies considerable space in a bus, reducing the number of conventional seats in the bus and also limiting the number of disabled people that can travel at once. For example, a conventional wheelchair may occupy the space of four conventional bus seats. There are known methods of removing seats from a bus when it is necessary to make space for conventional wheelchairs, but this still reduces the seating capacity of the bus when transporting a wheelchair and the removed bus seats must be stored outside of the bus.
In some instances, such as in some of the public transport “low floor” Sydney Buses, a designated space is provided on each bus for disabled passengers in wheelchairs. This designated space is normally occupied by four inwardly facing foldable seats near the front of the bus to be used normally by passengers. However, should a disabled person in a wheelchair board the bus, the foldable seats are folded out of the way, so that the disabled person in the wheelchair may be secured by their wheelchair brakes in a forward facing direction. One of the disadvantages of such arrangement is that the wheelchair takes up the space of the four four foldable seats, primarily because of the size and shape of conventional wheelchairs.
Typically, when a disabled person in a wheelchair travels in a long distance bus, commonly referred to as a “coach”, the person remains in their regular wheelchair during the trip. The wheelchair is loaded into the coach whilst the disabled person remains seated in it, and it is then strapped down to prevent it from moving whilst the coach is in motion. A disadvantage of this method of travel is that a conventional wheelchair occupies considerable space in a coach, reducing the number of conventional seats in the coach and also limiting the number of disabled people that can travel at once. A conventional wheelchair may occupy the space of four conventional coach seats. There are known methods of removing seats from a bus when it is necessary to make space for conventional wheelchairs, but this still reduces the seating capacity of the bus when transporting a wheelchair and the removed bus seats must be stored outside of the bus or in the luggage compartment. A disadvantage is that some coaches require considerable time to remove and store their conventional seats, so that a disabled person in a wheelchair may use the coach. Another disadvantage, is that it is not always convenient to remove seats and leave them behind at a the location where they were removed, as according to varying circumstances a coach may need to take its removed seats with it, as it may be necessary for those removed seats to be reinstalled for a future journey, once the disabled person in a wheelchair disembarks. Where the coach is substantially full of passengers, the stowage of removed seats compromises the available luggage space.
There are also situations where coaches are engaged for a group of passengers, such as for tourism or sports club trips for a number of days or weeks. In such situation a passenger, may incur illness or injury during the coach trip which is not so bad to prevent travel, but makes boarding and alighting coach difficult. The prior art method of removing seats to allow for strapping down of wheelchairs, is usually not feasible in such situations.
WO 03/026548 (Baribunma Holdings) discloses an improved apparatus for securing a self-propelled wheelchair to the floor of a vehicle for transport. Whilst this method is preferable to strapping down a conventional wheelchair, the self-propelled wheelchair still occupies considerable space within the vehicle. Also, this method requires the disabled person's own wheelchair to have an anchoring mechanism that matches the anchoring element in the vehicle. Generally this method is intended for use in specially modified smaller vans, where the disabled person is either a passenger or the driver of the van. Due to the considerable space occupied by the self-propelled wheelchair, it cannot be used in a multi-seat larger bus without comprising the space that could otherwise be used for regular seating within the bus.
The term “bus” as used herein includes, but is not limited to, mini-buses, public buses and coaches.
The present invention seeks to overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.